A court in Bangladesh has initiated a murder investigation against ousted former Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina and six senior officials from her administration, following the police killing of a man during recent civil unrest. The investigation, launched on Tuesday, marks a significant development in the turbulent aftermath of Hasina’s departure from power.
Hasina, 76, fled Bangladesh for neighboring India by helicopter a week ago as massive protests erupted in the capital, Dhaka, ending her prolonged and authoritarian rule. The unrest that led to her ousting claimed the lives of more than 450 people in the weeks leading up to her departure.
The murder case was filed by lawyer Mamun Mia on behalf of a private citizen. Mia stated that the Dhaka Metropolitan Court had directed the police to accept the murder case against Hasina and the six other accused, initiating the first step in a criminal investigation under Bangladeshi law. The accused include former Home Minister Asaduzzaman Khan and Obaidul Quader, the general secretary of Hasina’s Awami League party, as well as four high-ranking police officers who were appointed during Hasina’s tenure but have since vacated their posts.
The case centers on the death of a grocery store owner who was shot by police on July 19 during a crackdown on protests. The Daily Star reported that the case was brought forward by Amir Hamza Shatil, a resident of the neighborhood where the shooting occurred and a close associate of the victim.
Hasina’s government has faced widespread accusations of human rights abuses, including the extrajudicial killing of thousands of political opponents. The ongoing unrest and her subsequent departure have sparked a complex political crisis in Bangladesh.
In the wake of Hasina’s ouster, Nobel laureate Muhammad Yunus returned to Bangladesh from Europe to lead a temporary administration tasked with steering the country toward democratic reforms. Yunus, 84, who won the Nobel Peace Prize in 2006 for his pioneering work in microfinance, has been appointed as the “chief adviser” to a caretaker government composed mostly of civilians, with retired Brigadier General Sakhawat Hossain serving as the home minister.
Yunus has expressed his intention to hold elections “within a few months” as the new administration grapples with the monumental challenge of stabilizing the country. Meanwhile, Hossain stated on Monday that there were no plans to ban the Awami League, acknowledging the party’s significant contributions to Bangladesh’s independence movement. “When the election comes, they should contest the elections,” Hossain told reporters.
The caretaker administration has not yet commented on the ongoing investigation against Hasina and her associates.
